Learning the Curve: The Language of Text-Based Data Visualizations Adoption in ELA Teachers

As the integration of technology in education continues to grow, understanding how teachers adopt and utilize new tools is critical for enhancing instructional practices. This study explores the intricacies of technology adoption in education, specifically examining how middle school English Language Arts (ELA) teachers in Northern California design and implement text-based data visualizations. Employing a mixed methods approach, the research analyzes co-design session transcriptions, guided by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. This analysis explores the language patterns used by educators and researchers in discussing data visualization tools, illuminating patterns in pedagogical strategies that could link to furthering student literacy and critical thinking skills. The findings indicate that while data visualizations like word clouds align closely with language structure analysis, the potential of bar graphs and line graphs in ELA remains underutilized, presenting a significant opportunity for further professional development. This paper discusses the implications of these findings for educators and outlines key recommendations for the effective implementation of technology in classrooms.